The Mole
by rjacques
Summary: It has been a few years since the Battle of Hogwarts. Angelina and Ron are Aurors, and Harry is in training in Muggle Protection. But something is terribly wrong at the Ministry: Kingsley is losing control of the Auror Department, and is likely to be sacked. Harry and friends suspect that Kingsley is being undermined by a mole. These events occur just after those in The Garden.
1. A Conspiracy Grows

_The events in this story take place just after those in one of my other stories, The Garden._

 _As always, many thanks to J.K. Rowling for providing such a rich universe to work with. Also, thanks to John Le LeCarré; any resemblance between this story and "Tinker, Tailor ... " is not coincidental._

0-0-0

Harry arrived at the Burrow for another Weasley family gathering. With a family this large, and so many birthdays, anniversaries, and other special days to celebrate, events like this were frequent. They also provided an opportunity for Ron, Harry, and Angelina to meet privately, to discuss the ongoing problems at the Ministry. They arrived an hour early, and after greeting Arthur and Molly, the three conspirators - they had grown comfortable with this label - retired to a table in the garden.

Ron spoke first: "Angelina, we don't have anything new. We watch and we listen, but the pattern isnt' clear enough to point to any one person. We just sense that the bad apple is somewhere near the top."

"Yes," replied Angelina, "it's been about the same for me. But I have some information of another kind, though it's not very welcome. Still, it may help us. I've been hearing rumblings among the higher-ups in the Department, and the way they tell it is that Kingsley is cracking up. They say that he's become erratic, that he doesn't trust or confide in anyone, and that he goes into a rage at the slightest provocation. They're blaming all of the security breaches and failed operations on him, and they generally explain it all with an air of false sympathy; in their telling, it's all so very sad, but it looks like the old boy has lost his touch, and it seems to be his time to putter off into the sunset.

"And my observation is that this kind of rumor-mongering takes the focus off everybody else, so it's very useful to the real culprit to have these stories circulating. A tight little group of naysayers has formed among some of the top people, and I can't help but think that the bad guy - or gal - is one of them. You know, hiding among others who all have their own reasons to grouse. They may be itching for a promotion, or they may feel that they've been slighted by Kingsley or the Minister, or they may simply enjoy being members of a little resistance group, but it all leads to a general narrative that things have gone wrong, that it's all Kingsley's fault, and that it's time for him to step aside. To be replaced, of course, by one of them."

Ron looked up and said, somewhat hesitantly, "Look, Angelina, I don't want to sound disloyal to Kingsley, but just for the sake of argument, are we sure that he isn't the mole?"

"Don't worry, Ron, it's reasonable and proper to ask that question, even if you don't really suspect him. But I'll tell you one more thing. Kingsley has assigned someone from the Intelligence Office to work directly for him, so she's no longer answering to her normal Director. Of course, that gives Sam Haydon, the head of Intelligence, another thing to grouse about; he's part of the little cabal, and he doesn't like this development at all. And lately they've been trotting out this story of Kingsley's personal investigator as part of the proof that he's cracking up. The way they tell it, Kingsley is conducting his own obsessive investigation of something or other, probably a trivial matter, rather than leaving the job of investigation to the team that normally does these things. But my guess is that Kingsley has the same suspicions we have, and that the purpose of this private investigation is to get to the bottom of this on his own, without Haydon and the others being able to interfere. He doesn't trust Haydon, and I don't either.

"And the person Kingsley has working for him is someone you may remember from school, Susan Bones; she's one of the best investigators in the department, and, going back to your question, Ron, if Kingsley was the mole, I don't think he'd want her snooping around in the records.

"Of course, I could also imagine a contrary explanation, that by assigning her to this secret project of his, he would be preventing her from discovering evidence of his own malfeasance, which she might do in the course of her normal duties. This way he'd be keeping a close watch on her, right? But that's a weak argument, when you consider that the rest of the Intelligence team is still on the job, answering to Haydon.

"Another way to read it, if you were really suspicious, would be that Kingsley and Susan Bones are both moles, and working together. But if you know Susan, you'll probably agree that she would never become involved in a criminal conspiracy. I mean, anything is possible, but Kingsley and Susan are both unlikely candidates as moles, and the idea that the two of them could be working together on the side of the criminals just doesn't make sense to me."

"I agree," said Harry, "Susan was a member of Dumbledore's Army, and she has one of the most tragic histories of any of us. Almost her entire family was murdered by Voldemort and his people during the first war against him. And her Aunt Amelia was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when we were in school, and she was attacked and murdered in her home, apparently by Voldemort himself.

"I should mention, while we're on this subject, that I personally owe a lot to her Aunt Amelia; when I was put on trial by Cornelius Fudge for underage use of magic, after I defended my cousin and myself from two dementors who attacked us near my home, she made sure that I received a fair trial, despite Fudge's machinations. And I should also tell you, Angelina, that Susan is a good friend of Lavender's, and we see her from time to time. Her parents and Lavender's were very close, going back to their time in school, and Susan and Lavender have maintained that friendship. So I might be biased in her favor, but I really can't believe that Susan would ever be involved in a scheme that involved the protection of criminals."

Ron nodded his agreement, and Angelina continued: "Well, Harry, maybe Susan could help us find out what's up with Kingsley. Do you think you can arrange something?"

Harry took a long breath, and then replied: "Before I answer that, let me ask _you_ something, Angelina: As I see it, the three of us are already renegades of a sort. Ron and I have had our share of working outside the law, but I don't think you have. So just to put all of this in a legal framework, I want to point out that the three of us, at this moment, are talking about trying to obtain Ministry secrets from an official investigator in the Auror Department. I just want to be clear that if we proceed with this, if we even mention this to Susan, we're crossing another line. I know that we're doing this for a good cause, but there's no denying what's going on here. And on top of that, I want to know if you're saying that I can include Lavender in this conspiracy. The easiest way for me to talk to Susan would be in our home, and I don't even want to think about trying to arrange that without telling Lavender what's going on."

"Harry, I understand what you're saying. If we do this, our careers, and more, are on the line. But I'd also like to know what Ron thinks about that."

Ron looked up, smiled ruefully, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Outlaw justice, eh? Well, as Harry said, it wouldn't be the first time for the two of us. But I think the time has come to do it again. If we really want to fix the problem, we have to go all in, or we'll never get anywhere."

Angelina nodded and said, "And that's how I feel too. Yes, I see that the best way to talk to Susan would be to involve Lavender; so a conspiracy of three becomes a conspiracy of five, right?"

Ron and Harry both nodded, and a few minutes later they returned to the house, as the rest of the Weasley family began to arrive.

0-0-0

The next morning, over breakfast, Harry began the conversation: "Lav, there's something important I have to tell you. You know already that there are problems at the Ministry, and that I've been talking about these things with Ron and Angelina. It's really bad, and we made some decisions yesterday. And one thing we decided was that it's time to tell you about it."

"Well, yes, I knew that something was wrong, but I understand that you can't tell me about everything that happens at work." Lavender took one of Harry's hands in hers, as she often did when they spoke, and continued, "Harry, I have a secret too, and I don't feel very good about it. It's been gnawing at me, and I've decided that it's time to share it with you."

"You know I trust you, Lavender; whatever it is, I know you're doing the right thing."

"Well, I'm trying to ... but I think you should go first."

Harry then informed Lavender of the problems in the Auror Department, and the quiet agreement between Angelina, Ron, and himself to watch and listen, and the manner in which events were now forcing them to either act, or stand by passively and watch things get worse. Lastly, he described Kingsley's strange behavior, the rumors that were being spread about him, and his apparent reliance on Susan Bones to conduct a secretive investigation.

"Well, that all fits," said Lavender. "Because my secret also concerns Susan. She's been visiting here a lot, and it's pretty clear that she's worried about something. Before she visits she always checks that you won't be here, ostensibly so she can talk with me about private matters, but when she does show up she doesn't say much. She worries and she weeps, but she doesn't tell me what the problem is, and she refuses to accept any help from me. I've been thinking that she's under some kind of pressure at work, that she's afraid of something, and a couple of times, in frustration, I've come out and told her that I can't help her if I don't know anything. But that just gets her more agitated, and she says she can't tell me anything, but she needs me to listen. So I do.

"She hints at dark plots, and about fears she has about something that's going on at the Ministry, and one time she said that she's working on a special project for Kingsley. I've asked her point blank if Kingsley is part of the problem, and she swears that he's not. She says that he's the victim, that people are trying to frame him for something, and that her job is to 'get to the bottom of things.' But I have no idea what those 'things' are. So I listen, and I sympathize, and I try to make it clear that I'll help her if I can."

"That fits with everything we've seen," said Harry. "We think she's trying to discover who the culprit is, and that by working with Kingsley, she may feel that she's become a target as well. Ron and Angelina wanted me to tell you about this, because we're trying to find a way to talk privately to Susan. But we really don't know what she's doing, and whatever it is, we don't know if she would share it with us. No matter how bad this is for her, in terms of the pressure she's feeling, she has a code of professional ethics, and she might feel that she can't tell us anything. But even if she feels honor bound to secrecy, it might help her just to know that she has friends."

"I think you're right, Harry. Based on the way she's been behaving, the best approach might be for me to meet with Susan, alone, and tell her some of what you three have been thinking. Then she can decide whether she wants to open up about this. You know, it's possible that the problem she's dealing with has nothing to do with your theories. But it does all look connected. Poor Kingsley ..."

That evening, Lavender sent an owl to Susan, with an invitation to come to tea the following weekend. Susan's acceptance of the invitation arrived later, but things didn't work out as planned.


	2. A Sudden Move

The next day, at the Ministry, Harry and Ron had lunch together, as they often did. They never discussed their suspicions about the Auror Department in public, particularly on Ministry premises, and today they were talking about their least favorite magical beasts. Ron had just observed that the most terrifying one he'd ever encountered (apart from Acromantulas) was something he called a two-faced Umbridge, and the two were laughing, when the normally low rumble of chatter in the lunchroom suddenly increased in volume. Looking around, Ron and Harry saw that several people were entering the room, talking excitedly, and that others were rising in their seats and rushing over to hear what they had to say. It soon became apparent that there had been a disturbance in the street, just outside the Ministry entrance.

The story spread quickly through the lunchroom, and before another two minutes had passed, everyone present knew that a Ministry official had been attacked as she was leaving the building, and that the target of the attack was Susan Bones. Ron and Harry exchanged significant looks, then rose and returned to their offices, where they expected they would soon hear more.

When Harry arrived at the Muggle Protection office, two witnesses of the event were describing what they had seen. On any given day, a good number of Ministry employees left the building at mid-day, to shop or to meet others for lunch. Like so many others, Susan had exited the building at around noon, and almost immediately, as she stepped into the street, she had been cornered by four or five individuals with raised wands, who had begun to cast spells at her. In a matter of seconds, all of them had disapparated, including Susan, who was now presumed to be held captive by her assailants.

Word of the attack spread quickly throughout the Ministry, and it was difficult for anyone to focus on their work that afternoon. Many departed early, under various pretexts. Harry lingered at the office longer than most, to avoid drawing attention to himself, and at three in the afternoon, with the workplace now mostly empty, he headed out. When he reached the street outside the Ministry, he saw a cluster of others standing at one point not far from the entrance. The scorch marks on the sidewalk and nearby walls told the story. Aurors had already scoured the area for evidence, and the gawkers who stood in the area now, talking among themselves, knew no more than what Harry had already heard at work. He headed down the block, found a quiet alley, disapparated, and reappeared a moment later on the front walk of his and Lavender's home.

As he walked to the door, Harry was considering the best way to break the news to Lavender. He waved his wand at the lock, and was surprised that the door stayed closed and bolted. This alarmed him, and he immediately pulled the rope to ring the doorbell, as any guest or delivery person would. Lavender opened the door, wand at the ready.

Harry began to speak, "Lavender, what's going on? Are you alright? Did you hear what happened at the Ministry today?"

She silently signaled for him to enter, and in a moment Harry was inside, with the door closed behind him. Lavender held a finger to her lips to quiet him, and she whispered, quietly but distinctly, "She's here."

Harry silently mouthed the name, "Susan?" Lavender nodded, and they withdrew to the sitting room.

"What happened?" he asked.

"No time for that now," she replied. "I've been casting protective spells on the house, and trying to help her settle down since she arrived. We need Padma. I want you to go to Parvati's shop and ask her to send Padma here. If they stage their moves correctly, anyone who might be watching will just see you go out to the bakery, and they'll think it's Parvati who arrives here later. Be careful and be quick."

Harry left the house, wand in hand, though concealed in his sleeve, and walked to Parvati's bake shop, checking frequently for anyone who might be watching or following him. He saw nothing suspicious.

When he arrived at the shop there were no customers present. Parvati smiled as he entered, and after greeting her, Harry lowered his voice and quickly described the situation. "And if you can head up to Hogwarts, bring Padma back with you, and have her come to our place, posing as you, we can begin to think about what comes next."

"Of course; I'll go right away." She packed a box of small cakes for Harry, locked the door behind him as he headed home, and turned the sign on the door to read "closed." As he walked, Harry continued to watch for suspicious activity. He arrived home, rang the doorbell, and was admitted again by Lavender. As soon as the door was closed, she grabbed him in a desperate hug. For a while they held tightly to each other, not speaking.

Lavender then cast the Muffliato charm, and began to speak: "I think she's OK, but I can't be sure. She apparated to our front door, and she didn't appear to be injured, but she was close to being in hysterics. I tried to calm her down, but she was overcome with fear, and I realized that what she most needed, in order to settle down, was for me to increase security on the house, so she could begin to feel safe. But she never told me what happened."

Harry quickly described the events that had occurred outside the Ministry, and asked, "Where is she now?"

"In the guest room, sleeping. I gave her a calming potion, and finally she fell asleep. Is Parvati going for Padma?"

"Yes, she was going to apparate up to Hogsmeade as soon as I left, and I suppose it will take an hour or two for her to find Padma, return with her, and for Padma to walk over here. But I also want to know how you're doing."

"I'm fine, except for the circumstances. I'm just glad that the school year won't begin for another few weeks, or there would have been children in the house when Susan arrived."

Padma soon arrived, and Lavender took her upstairs to see Susan. Twenty minutes later, they returned to the parlor. Harry had made tea, and he served it while Padma and Lavender settled down and gathered their thoughts.

Padma spoke first: "She's alright, at least physically. We can talk with her when she wakes, but according to Lavender's report she's likely to be extremely agitated, so we'll have to play it by ear. And Parvati told me to watch that I wasn't followed, and that I'm supposed to be impersonating her, so I guess something nefarious is up?"

Harry sighed, and said, "It's complicated, but basically there are some bad things happening at the Ministry, and Susan seems to be caught in the middle. She was attacked outside the Ministry entrance when she stepped outside at lunchtime, and she apparated directly here."

For the rest of the day, Harry, Lavender, and Padma took turns watching Susan as she slept. Towards evening, she awoke. Lavender was with her at the time, and quickly assured her that she was safe. They came downstairs, and joined Harry and Padma in the parlor.

After thanking them all, Susan said, "I shouldn't burden you this way; I need to leave. I'm in danger, and as long as I'm here, you are too."

"This is not a burden," said Harry. "You're safe here, and we want you to stay."

Lavender reached out, took Susan's hand, looked directly at her, and said, "Don't go. We want you here, and we want to help."

Susan sighed, and agreed to stay, but added, "Just for a little while."

Harry then informed Susan that he and the others would not ask her to tell them what was going on, but indicated that they had suspicions, and noted that whatever secrets she might have would not be compromised if she simply allowed him to share his thoughts with her. Susan agreed to listen, and Harry explained why he and a few others thought there was a mole in the Auror department. Then he continued: "And based on what we've seen and heard in the hallways over the past few months, we believe that Kingsley has had the same suspicions, and that he's had you working directly for him, trying to make sense of it all, and maybe identify this person. And in light of today's events, it looks to us like the criminals have been thinking along the same lines."

Harry observed that Susan avoided directly confirming anything when she simply nodded and said, "Thanks, Harry, I appreciate your concern. I can't say anything more, but I can tell you what happened today. For the past few weeks I've sensed that I was being followed, and I've stayed on the alert, ready to disapparate at a moment's notice."

She looked around at the others in the room, and continued, "You all know what happened to most of my family, my Aunt Amelia in particular; Voldemort and his allies went after her when we were in school. The attack on her was a direct assault on the rule of law. Apart from stopping her, it was clearly meant to send a message to everyone that the law could not protect them from Voldemort.

"But for me, it was something more. My Aunt Amelia was a wonderful person, and until that time almost my only living relative. I loved her dearly, but she was also my hero, because she exemplified honest law enforcement and justice. When those who are sworn to enforce the law are intimidated, or become corrupt, the weak and the good are at the mercy of the strong and the cruel. Most of my relatives also worked in law enforcement, in one form or another, and many of them were killed in the first war against Voldemort, but Aunt Amelia survived that war, and eventually rose to the top of Magical Law Enforcement.

"And she was powerful in other ways too. She was a skilled fighter, which I certainly am not. When they killed her in her home, I knew that the goal was revenge for the people she'd helped put away, and intimidation of everyone else who works in law enforcement. And I quietly pledged myself to the same principles that she'd always fought for. Maybe that sounds naïve and childish, but -"

"Pardon me for interrupting, Susan, but that doesn't sound childish to anyone in this room," said Lavender, firmly. "We all know what happens to a society when the criminals take over. We've seen it ourselves. We lost some of the best of our generation, and our parents' generation, fighting against people like that. So please don't ever apologize for saying things like that!"

Hearing this adamant statement from Lavender, Harry quietly reflected on how much more there was to her than most people had suspected during their school years, and on how fortunate he was to have found a life with her. He was thankful for what she had helped him to become, and he hoped that he inspired and strengthened her in the same way.

"Thanks, Lav," Susan replied, smiling for the first time, though only briefly. "Well, I came to realize that my own talents were in detection and analysis, you know, sifting through evidence and puzzling things out, so when I applied for a position in the Auror Department I told them that I knew I wasn't cut out to be a field agent, but I thought I could help in Intelligence. That's where they assigned me, after Basic Training, and as I said earlier, I can't confirm anything to you right now about what I've been doing while on assignment with Kingsley Shacklebolt, but I have been sensing for a while that I was being followed, and I've tried to take note of the faces."

Turning to Lavender, she added, "And I want you to know that every time I've visited here over the past several weeks, I've taken all proper precautions to avoid being followed."

She then continued: "So when I walked out for lunch today, I immediately noticed five people who I'd seen following me at other times. They were heading towards me, and raising their wands, and I knew that the moment had come. I was prepared to disapparate, and I had decided that if something like this happened, I would come right here. But I really don't have to stay here; I'm putting all of you in danger."

"Susan, we're glad you came here," said Harry, "and as we've already said, we want you to stay. Please don't mention it again. I'll go back to work tomorrow, and see what's happening at the Ministry."

After supper, Susan went to bed early, still emotionally exhausted, and Harry, Padma, and Lavender returned to the parlor. "Well, Padma," said Harry, "I guess you're part of it now, and so is Parvati. If the others don't like it, they can take it up with me. And if you can, I'd like to ask you to stay here for a while this evening, just long enough for me to alert Ron and Angelina to what's happening."

Once it was dark, Harry went out to the front walk and apparated to Ron's flat. It seemed best to avoid the Floo Network, which might be monitored by the wrong people.

"What's up, Harry?" asked Ron, who seemed to be expecting the visit. Harry quickly filled him in on the latest developments, and said that he had to hurry home, in fear that an attack might come in the night.

"I'll notify Angelina," said Ron, "and I'll come by right away."

Harry returned home, and Ron and Angelina arrived shortly later. Harry then accompanied Padma back to the bake shop, both of them on the alert for trouble, and then returned home. Harry, Ron, Angelina, and Lavender kept watches through the night, while Susan slept. There was no suspicious activity, and in the morning Parvati came over to help keep watch, while Ron, Angelina, and Harry went to work. As they'd anticipated, the Ministry was abuzz. And certain changes had been made.


	3. A Folksinger

When Harry arrived at the Ministry the next morning, the building was abuzz with gossip and wild theories about who had done what, but the actual news basically came down to two developments: Kingsley Shacklebolt had been sacked as Auror Director, and four individuals, widely known as the "gang of four", were now in control of the Auror force. One member of the group, Sam Haydon, had been appointed Interim Director of the overall department, while retaining his previous post as Director of the Intelligence Office within it. The other three individuals in the "gang", Elena Savage, Toby Lennox, and Terry Strickland, were directors of other offices within the Auror Department, and now they were Haydon's chief lieutenants.

As Angelina, Harry, and Ron ruefully noted, these four individuals had been actively undermining Kingsley for quite a while. The attack on Susan Bones, just outside the Ministry entrance, had galvanized perceptions among Ministry employees, long cultivated by these four, that Kingsley had lost control of the department. And now, with Kingsley pushed out, the Gang of Four had basically been rewarded for their efforts, by receiving the advancements they had craved. To be sure, most people had little love for any of the four; as a group, they had behaved as a secretive and exclusive cabal for several months, and apart from their allegiance to each other, they were perceived as anything but team players. The general drift of discussion in the hallways concerned their arrogance and selfishness, and their failings as department managers, but Harry observed that there was no general suspicion that they were criminals. So most people accepted the changes, in many cases grudgingly, and went about their business.

During lunch, Angelina took a chance, and spoke briefly with Ron and Harry. She stopped by their table for a moment and suggested that the three of them meet tonight at Harry and Lavender's house to plan their next moves, then she quickly walked away. She hoped that in light of today's news, Susan might decide to provide some information about her own investigations over the past several weeks.

Meanwhile, Padma had been busy during the night. She had first determined that although Susan was suffering from severe emotional stress, brought on by a constant state of fear and anxiety, she was otherwise fine. The group had decided that some undercover investigative work was in order, and on returning to Hogwarts Padma had obtained a stock of Polyjuice Potion from Hermione. Hermione could see that something was afoot, but was content to be apprised of just a general outline of the situation. Fortunately, Hermione had a good supply of the potion on hand, which she had made using her own modified version of the standard recipe; while it was just as effective as the traditional brew, this batch had the distinct advantage of tasting like plum wine, rather than, well, you know. Padma returned to London, handed the potion to Parvati, and then returned to Hogwarts, with the promise that she would check in on Susan every few days. And Susan was improving quickly. She felt safe staying with Harry and Lavender, where she was surrounded by sympathetic friends, and far from the stresses of her assignment at the office.

Over supper that evening, Harry informed Susan and Lavender of the day's events at the Ministry, to the obvious dismay of both. He continued, "Ron and Angelina are coming by this evening, after dark, and we can talk through this whole situation." Turning to Susan, he said, "Nobody will push you to divulge Ministry secrets, but we want you to hear everything we know, and then you can decide what to do."

At their council that evening the group agreed on a general plan. Ron and Angelina would continue to go to work, where they would attempt to learn what they could, while Harry would take some holiday time, and try to locate Kingsley. Lavender would also continue to conduct her affairs in a manner that they hoped would appear normal to any potential observers: It was August now, and she was preparing for the coming school year, which involved meetings with parents, students, and teachers. Suspicions might arise if she were to refuse entry to those who would normally be visiting at this time of the year, so the safest plan seemed to be for Lavender to remain vigilant, while going about her normal business. Susan, meanwhile, would continue to stay with Harry and Lavender, out of sight on the second floor, and prepared to defend herself if necessary.

Over the next few days, Harry assisted Lavender in her preparations for the coming school year, and in the evenings, with the help of the Polyjuice Potion, he prowled around various Muggle and Magical sections of London, trying to find Kingsley, or clues to his whereabouts. The odds seemed long, as Kingsley had always been secretive about his personal life; nobody even seemed to know where he lived.

One evening, in the physical form of a blond man with a mustache and ponytail, Harry was wandering through Diagon Alley, when he saw the name of an old friend on a sign in the window of the Leaky Cauldron. "Appearing Tonight," read the sign, and several names were listed below. One of the persons named on the sign was Dean Thomas. Comedians, musicians, and other entertainers often played to small audiences at the Leaky Cauldron, and it appeared that Harry's old roommate was now some sort of performing artist.

Harry knew that things had been difficult for Dean, whose father, a Wizard, had fled from his Muggle wife and young son during the first war against Voldemort, in order to protect them: Death Eaters had been attempting to conscript him, and they had been persistent in their efforts, and increasingly threatening. The Death Eaters had later found and killed him, and Dean's mother had remarried a few years later, this time to a Muggle. Thus, Dean had been raised since he was a small child by a Muggle couple. Years later, when Voldemort took over the Ministry, and Dean couldn't prove that he had any Wizarding ancestry, he had gone into hiding, and had missed his seventh year of school, just as Harry, Ron, and Hermione had. Dean had done his best to stay a step ahead of the Snatchers, but eventually he had been captured and imprisoned in Malfoy Manor, and later rescued by Dobby, along with Harry and others, on the night that poor Dobby had died at the hand of Bellatrix Lestrange. Dean had later returned to Hogwarts, and fought in the final battle against Voldemort, but Harry hadn't seen him since.

As Harry now loitered at the window of the Leaky Cauldron, recalling these events, Dean walked past him, carrying a guitar case, and entered. Harry paused for a moment, then followed him inside. He ordered a shot of firewhiskey and a pint of beer, and took a seat near the rear of the room.

The evening's entertainment began shortly later, with a performance by a female comedian. In her monologue she highlighted the confusion and sticky situations that often arose when Magical folk and Muggles interacted. She was occasionally rather funny, but Harry felt that she was condescending when speaking of Muggles, who always seemed to be the hapless victims of misunderstandings in the stories, as though their ignorance of Magical folk was due to stupidity. Listening to this routine, Harry became progressively more irritated. Hadn't the Wizarding world just fought a war, in part to defeat the idea that Muggles, and even Muggle-born Witches and Wizards, were inferior people? How could a person fall back into such easy and casual condescension so soon afterward?

There was a short break after the comedian's act, during which a bright blue hat floated from table to table, and along the length of the bar, soliciting donations from the patrons. Rather than toss a few coins into the hat, Harry dropped in a note to the comedian, telling her bluntly that her act would be much improved if she could find a way to avoid looking down on Muggles. Harry ordered another pint, and waited for the next act to begin.

The second act was a small group of singers, a Witch and two Wizards, who sang folk ballads about the troubles of people caught up in wars, floods, and other tragic events through the ages. The songs related stories of people who suffered and lost loved ones, and urged listeners to do all they could to prevent future wars. Again, the blue hat circulated through the audience, and people made donations. This time around, Harry was glad to contribute.

And now it was Dean's turn. He came out onto the small stage with his guitar, and sang several songs of his own composition, mostly about the rambling life, including the pleasures and pains of being constantly on the move, and the foibles and heartbreak of interrupted love and friendship. Harry found himself wiping a few tears away from his eyes as Dean sang a song that described a dream he'd had, while riding on a train into the West Country. In this dream, he had found himself transported back to the time when he and his closest friends had talked and laughed and sung together, blissfully unaware that the day would come when they would drift apart and never see each other again. In another song, Dean described the pain of a young man leaving a woman he had loved, after realizing much too late that she had never loved him, and never would.

Between songs, as Dean adjusted the tuning of his guitar, he maintained a rambling monologue, sometimes hilarious, other times keenly observant of seemingly random occurrences that conveyed the goodness or folly of people he'd met in his travels. The common theme seemed to be that the world could be a better place for everyone, if people would only try a bit harder to be kind, and fair, and unselfish. But even while conveying this basic message, Dean never wandered into maudlin self-pity or outright bitterness; his songs and stories evinced sadness, but always balanced with hope, and with glimpses of beauty, and Harry found himself inspired by it all. He glanced around the room, and saw that the audience was a mix of people of all ages, including several gray-haired Witches and Wizards from the 1960s counterculture, people who had survived both wars against Voldemort. They nodded and smiled wistfully in response to Dean's keen imagery and appeals to kindness and justice.

The final song in the set was a hopeful one, about a man walking down a country road, looking to find what was good and right in the world, and hoping that he might come across it in the next town. At the end of his set there was a nice round of applause, and after the hat circulated, the room began to empty. Harry approached Dean, who was sitting at a table, accepting compliments from people as they departed, and thanking them, in turn, for listening to his songs.

Harry, still in the guise of the blonde man, asked Dean if he could talk to him for a moment, and then sat beside him, leaned over, and quietly said, "I'm an old friend, but I'm in disguise tonight." Dean looked up at him, and Harry continued, "It's Harry, your old roommate from school. The Polyjuice will be wearing off in a little while, so I'm going to visit the loo, and when I come out it'll be me. Can I buy you a beer?"

Dean smiled and answered, "You bet!"

Five minutes later, Harry returned as himself, picked up a couple of pints at the bar, seated himself, and said, "Dean, you're a poet. I really like your songs, and your stories, and your whole style. Funny and sad, and all mixed up together sometimes, in kind of a strange brew."

"Thanks, Harry. Good of you to say that. I guess it's just a funny old world. Don't despair, but don't get too complacent either, right? And how are things with you?"

"Well, for one thing ..." and Harry raised his left hand to show his wedding ring.

"Ginny, eh?"

Harry smiled, and shook his head.

Dean guessed again: "Hermione? I guess you knew that a lot of people thought the two of you would end up together, somewhere down the line. We just didn't think we should mention it around you and Ron."

Again, Harry smiled and shook his head, but this time he spoke, "No, not Hermione either; and in case you're wondering, she and Ron are still together. But you do know the lady I married ..."

Dean looked at Harry with a quizzical expression, and Harry spoke again: "Dean, please don't react immediately when I tell you who it is; she's been misunderstood for most of her life. But she's wonderful, and smart, and so good to me, and I love her so much. It's Lavender."

Harry had expected to be hurt; he had expected Dean to stifle a laugh, or to make an awkward attempt to say something nice, which would come off as insincere. Instead, Dean nodded and said, "That's great to hear; she's one of the best people I've ever known."

Dean noted Harry's surprise at this answer, and he continued, with a smile and a slight gesture toward his guitar case: "Look Harry, you just said I'm a poet, right? So it's possible that I might see a few things that others don't. Well, when we were in school, I didn't have the right words, or the maturity, to understand or describe what I saw in the people I knew, but one thing I figured out very early on was that the popular impression of Lavender was completely mistaken. It just seemed to me that what most people saw was a kind of temporary shell over a really perceptive and sensitive and kind person, and that one day that shell would fall away.

"Sometimes in class, or when we were sitting in the common room, I'd look up from whatever I was doing, and I'd see her looking intently at someone else in the room, kind of considering them, in a way that made it clear to me that she wasn't thinking about hair styles, or jewelry, or anything like that. It was like she could look at people and sense their feelings, from the way they talked and moved, and that she was wondering how things would turn out for them. Maybe you think it's crazy for me to believe that I could discern all of that from the way she looked at someone, but here's why I believed it then, and still do now: There were some times when I was feeling pretty down because of one thing or another, and out of the blue she would say something to me that might sound light and meaningless, but I could tell that she knew that things were bad with me, and that she wanted me to know that someone cared. And it usually helped. So believe me, Harry, I know there's a lot to her, and I'm really happy for both of you."

"Dean, I don't know what to say. I guess I'm a fool, because I never saw any of that until a year ago, when I happened to spend some time with her, almost by accident. But once we got to talking, and I began to know her a bit, I realized that it was all there to be seen, just what you're saying; so how can I say that you were wrong about what you saw then? Eventually I realized that she's all about understanding how people feel, and trying to make things better for them. She calls it 'healing the world.' And she runs a little primary school in our house now, which is devoted to helping kids understand who they are, and healing the pain of the war.

"But look, Dean, I have a little problem tonight. I want to ask you over, but you know how trouble always seems to find me. Right now we're taking care of someone who's hiding from some pretty bad people, and there's a chance that they'll come after her, so it could be dangerous at my place."

"Well, that sounds like the Harry I know. But if you're telling me that I might have to help out in a good cause, I think I can handle it."

"If you're sure ..."

"I'm sure."

They stepped into the dark street, clasped hands, and Harry apparated the two of them to a street corner, a few blocks from his home. After determining that nobody was following them, they walked to the house. Along the way, Harry explained: "Because of the security situation, we have a lot of protective spells on the house, and even I have to ring the bell to be admitted." On arriving at the front door, Harry pulled the bell string, and he heard Lavender approach the door from within, and call out, "Yes, who's there?". Harry spoke a short passphrase, and added, "And I have an old friend with me."

Lavender opened the door, and greeted Dean with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Oh Dean, I'm so happy to see you. But you look famished; do you want something to eat?"

"Yes, thanks, that would be great."

Dean headed off to wash up, and while Harry and Lavender warmed some soup, and prepared some toast and cheese and fruit to go with it, Lavender said, "Harry, he looks half starved; what's up with him?"

"I don't know much, but he's a folksinger. And quite a good one. Kind of a raconteur, funny and tragic all at once. He was singing in the Leaky Cauldron tonight, and telling stories between the songs. I found myself laughing a bit, and crying a bit. He's been drifting around for a while, but I didn't notice how tired and hungry he looked. I did tell him that we were guarding someone here, but nothing more."

"Well, I always thought he had a poetic spirit ..."

"Yeah, and by the way, he told me that he always knew that you were one of most sensitive and perceptive people at school, which I can't claim to have ever seen myself -"

Lavender took hold of Harry by his shoulders, looked into his eyes, and said, "Harry, I want you to listen to me: Whatever he told you that he could see back then, it was long before I ever knew who I was then, or who I would ever be. You and I are both learning who we are, together. So don't you dare feel hurt!"

Harry sighed, and said, "How did I ever find you?" as he pulled Lavender into an embrace.

As they stood there, holding each other, Dean re-entered the kitchen and said, "Well, I guess that clinches it; I definitely missed my chance with you, Lavender. But maybe I'll get lucky in my next life ..."

All three laughed, and then walked out to the back patio, where Dean ate, while Harry and Lavender had tea and biscuits as they listened to the crickets chirping in the garden. Afterward, sitting under the starlight, they shared their thoughts and reminiscences. After an hour or so, Lavender said, "Dean, we'll set you up to sleep in one of the classrooms. Ron is coming over soon to take a watch tonight for our other guest. I'll be getting early, for the next shift, so I'm heading off to bed now. I'll see you tomorrow."

A short while later, Harry admitted Ron to the house, and the three old friends settled down and talked until long into the night. Ron and Harry told Dean who their other guest was, and described the situation.

"Susan Bones, eh?" said Dean. "I remember her. Hufflepuff, our year; kind of shy and reserved, right? And she had that awful splinch accident when we were learning to apparate, right?"

Harry and Ron both nodded, and the conversation soon wandered off in other directions. A while later, Ron asked Dean, "So what's it like out there?"

"Where, on the road?"

"Yeah."

"Well, sometimes it's good. I've met some really fine people along the way, but every day is different, and nothing is permanent. It can be pretty lonely at times, and it's hard to hold onto relationships when you're constantly moving around. And eventually it can make you really cynical. I've met people who seemed to be pretty good folks, just to discover later that it was an act. I'm not just talking about the ladies, but that's part of it. You know, I go to a town to sing, someone invites me over for a meal, they seem to be nice, I relax a bit, start to think that maybe I've found something good, and then I discover that they're playing head games with me, or using me to try to punish someone else, things like that. So I try to keep believing in people, but I can see myself becoming hardened, less trustful, careful about opening up to people, and that takes a toll."

Now Harry spoke up: "Well, if we're really sharing our feelings tonight, I'll tell you that I was too reserved, too careful, for a long time. I wouldn't allow myself to believe that anything good could last, and it didn't go very well for me, or for the people around me. Lavender helped pull me out of that rut. Good medicine, you know?"

After a while, Harry continued: "I need to get to bed now. I'll see you tomorrow, Dean. And Ron, thanks for covering tonight."


	4. Smoke and Light

The following morning, when Susan came downstairs for breakfast, Harry and Lavender informed her that there was another guest in the house. Shortly later, Dean entered the dining room, and Lavender introduced him to Susan, who remembered him from their days at Hogwarts, just as he had remembered her.

As they ate, Lavender discussed her plans for the day. Since the moment that Susan had arrived, there had always been at least one person in the house with her, and during daylight hours it had generally been Lavender. Today, Harry would be out searching for Kingsley, and with Dean in the house, Lavender asked if anyone minded if she also went out for a couple of hours. The others agreed that this would be fine, and she explained further: "We have security spells on the house and gardens, so nobody should be able to enter unless you admit them at the front door, after they identify themselves with the passphrase. And I've set things up so the doorbell can be heard from anywhere on the premises, so you don't have to stay in the front parlor, though I think that the two of you should stay in sight of each other, or at least in nearby rooms."

After clearing the breakfast dishes, Harry and Lavender departed, and Lavender didn't return until almost noon. She had lunch with her two guests, and afterwards she had several jobs to do in the house. Dean took this opportunity to explore the gardens. He was surprised at how extensive they were, and now he understood how they could play such an important part in Lavender's school. Returning to the house, he asked Lavender, "Do you mind if I hang out in the garden for a while?"

"No, it's there to be enjoyed. And in a couple of weeks it'll be filled with screaming children, so this is your chance for some quiet time out there."

Lavender then settled down at the dining room table to work on school correspondence, while Susan read in the adjoining parlor. An hour or so later, Lavender got up to make tea. She didn't see Susan in the parlor, and was slightly alarmed at her absence, but from the back patio she could hear two voices singing in the garden. Smiling to herself, she returned to the kitchen to make tea, and walked to the garden a few minutes later with a tray of tea and biscuits. Dean and Susan were sitting in the rose garden, talking intently. They looked slightly embarrassed as Lavender approached.

"Did I hear some singing earlier?" asked Lavender, as she poured the tea.

Susan replied, "I went out to the back patio earlier, and I heard Dean singing an old song I knew, so I came over joined in. Do you know _The Careless Witch of Willoughby_?"

"Is that the one about the witch who's always losing things, and finding them later in the strangest places?"

"That's the one," said Dean. "There are more verses than you can count; people invent new ones all the time. It started out as a children's song, but some of the verses aren't exactly appropriate for the younger set, if you get my drift."

Lavender smiled and said, "Well, Dean, if you can avoid those particular verses, I'm wondering if you might visit the school sometime this Fall, and teach a few songs to the children?"

"Sure, I'd love to."

After tea, Susan and Dean continued to talk in the garden while Lavender returned to the house.

Harry returned home a short while later, to report that he hadn't yet picked up any leads as to Kingsley's whereabouts. But he was thinking about visiting Grimmauld Place, and he broached the idea with Lavender. He hadn't returned to the building in years, since the day that he and Ron and Hermione had penetrated the Ministry, in search of the locket held by Dolores Umbridge. As they had hurriedly disapparated from the Ministry, they had inadvertently revealed the location of Grimmauld Place to Corban Yaxley, a Death Eater. They had never known if Yaxley had used that information, or if he'd informed anyone else of the location. He was now in Azkaban, and it was possible that he had never realized that he'd been shown a secret location. If not, the location was still safe. So perhaps, with proper care, Harry should investigate. Surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Kingsley, knew the location, and all of them were Secret Keepers now. And after all, Harry owned the place. As a first step, he decided to watch the location for a while. If he stood across the street, under his Invisibility Cloak, he might see something of interest.

"So that's my plan," he said. "I'll just watch this evening, and maybe I'll enter tomorrow, with Ron and Angelina. But where are Susan and Dean?"

Lavender smiled, and said, "They're out in the garden, and I should tell you that they've become rather friendly with each other. I'm not making any predictions, but you might want to keep your eyes open."

That evening, over supper, Harry shared his plans with the others, and after dark he headed over to Grimmauld Place. He watched for a few hours, without incident, and then returned home. As far as he could tell, nobody was loitering in the neighborhood, but without entering the building he couldn't tell if it was occupied. Angelina had already arrived at their home to keep watch for the evening, and she was surprised, but pleased, to see Dean. Both of them had played Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, though in different years. Dean had only joined the team after Angelina had graduated, but with Quidditch as a conversation starter, they were soon getting along like old friends, and Angelina accepted Harry's decision to include Dean in the conspiracy. "But Harry, it's time to stop adding new people."

"Sorry, Angelina, but this happened almost by accident. I do understand, though."

Harry then informed Angelina of his plan to check on Grimmauld Place. He avoided speaking the precise address, and simply told her that it was a location that had been protected by the Fidelius Charm, and still might be. Ron arrived a bit later, and sometime after midnight, Ron, Harry, and Angelina walked out to the front walk and apparated to King's Cross Station, which was a short walk from their target.

As they walked eastward from the station, along Pentonville Road, watching for anyone who might be following, Harry explained, "Angelina, since the location was once protected by the Fidelius Charm, I'd like to know if you can see it before I tell you the address. Professor Dumbledore was the original Secret Keeper, but when he died, all of the people who had been using it as a hideout became Secret Keepers. Kingsley was one of them, and that's why I'm thinking that we might find him there. But we may have revealed the location to a Death Eater, back during the war. We were never certain about that, so we fled, and I've never been back. It's the old Black family home, and I actually own it now. There was an old House Elf in the place, named Kreacher, but I sent him to Hogwarts, and the last I heard he's still there.

After half an hour, including some retracing of their steps to assure themselves that they weren't being followed, the three turned into Grimmauld Place, and walked partway down the block. After they felt certain that they weren't observed, Harry asked Angelina what house numbers she saw.

"Hmmm, numbers 1 through 11, then 13 and upwards. So is it number 12?"

"I'm not saying it is, and I'm not saying it isn't," said Harry. "Are you sure that those are all the house numbers you see?"

"Yes," Angelina replied.

"OK then, I'll change my story. I _am_ saying that the location is number 12 Grimmauld Place."

As he spoke, He and Ron saw nothing change, but to Angelina's eyes, number 12 suddenly appeared, in its proper place in the sequence. "Well," she said, "that's a good sign. The charm is still active, but we still don't know who else knows the secret." Then she spoke again, quietly but firmly, "Wands in hand, lads!"

Ron turned to Harry, and in a stage whisper he said, "Don't you hate it when she calls you 'lad?'"

All three of them smiled, then turned and walked to the entrance.

"By the way," said Harry, "there may still be some defenses in place, including one that was aimed specifically at Severus Snape. And I'm going to cast the Muffliato Charm, because there's a painting of Sirius' mother just inside the entrance, and she screams at people when they enter."

"It sounds like a delightful place," said Angelina.

Once on the doorstep they were hidden from the view of anyone outside. They took a last look back at the street, then Harry tapped the lock with his wand, listened as the bolt slid back, and slowly turned the knob. They entered the building, with Angelina leading the way. It was completely dark inside, and they set their wands to produce a faint luminosity, just sufficient to see a few feet ahead. They encountered no obstructions within, and Harry observed that the curtains over Walburga Black's portrait were tightly closed with a rope. Someone must have tied that rope. But who, and when? He closed the front door behind them, and they continued down the front hallway.

In the dim light, Harry thought he saw a shadowy figure at the other end of the hall, and almost immediately Harry's wand flew from his hand; that person, whoever it was, must have silently cast the Disarming Spell. As Harry's wand flew away, and hit the wall, he and Angelina and Ron instantly dropped to the ground. Angelina covered her eyes with her free hand, and released a blinding burst of light from her wand. With everyone else in the hall temporarily blinded, including their adversary, she uncovered her eyes and relighted her wand with sufficient brightness to illuminate the hallway. The person at the other end of the hall appeared to be Kingsley Shacklebolt. Angelina shouted, "Kingsley, we're friends."

Kingsley didn't appear to be convinced; in a moment the hall was filled with smoke, which obscured everyone's vision. "How do I know you're friends?" he shouted.

Ron responded, "Order of the Phoenix, Kingsley; it's Ron and Harry and Angelina."

"Not all of you are from the Order," replied Kingsley; "Who is, and who isn't?"

Ron answered, "Harry and I are; Angelina isn't"

"And who else was in the order? Name five who aren't Weasleys," commanded Kingsley.

Harry replied to this challenge, "Sirius Black; Severus Snape; Alastor Moody; Remus Lupin; Nymphadora Tonks." Harry was careful not to name anyone who was still living, as he still wasn't certain that this was the real Kingsley. "And by the way, Kingsley," he continued, "I can't be the only person who remembers that Tonks used to knock over this umbrella stand just about every time she entered the building, as I just did when I dropped to the ground."

The smoke cleared, and Ron, Harry, and Angelina saw Kingsley facing them, wand still raised. He looked haggard and unkempt, as though he hadn't slept since the day he'd left the Ministry.

Angelina spoke next: "Kingsley, pardon me, but I still need to verify that it's you; what kind of food did you and I discuss two weeks ago, after that staff meeting broke up?"

"Pumpkin pasties."

"And what did I say about them?"

"That you detest the things."

Angelina smiled, lowered her wand, and said, "Kingsley, we're here to help."

"And how might you do that?"

"By assisting you in finding the mole in the Auror Department."

Kingsley exhibited momentary surprise at this direct reply, but in an instant he had hidden it, and he answered, "Whoever heard of such a thing? How could a mole possibly find his way into the Aurors?"

Angelina looked directly at Kingsley, and replied, "We don't know how, but somehow it has happened, and we have a short list of suspects.

Kingsley lowered his wand, and said, "Come inside; I hope I'm smart enough to recognize who my friends are."

Harry located his wand, set the umbrella stand upright, and followed the other three back to the kitchen, where a few candles were burning. Kingsley began to heat water for tea, then he looked at the three young protégés who sat opposite him, and spoke: "And is it just the three of you who are going to find this person and save the Ministry?"

"No," said Harry, "there are a few others. And we have good news for you; Susan Bones is alive and unhurt, and we have her in hiding."

"Susan's alive?" said Kingsley in disbelief. "And free? They didn't snatch her?"

He buried his face in his hands, and shuddered a couple of times. "I thought she was dead, or being held and tortured by those people. Thank God she's safe! When she was attacked outside the Ministry, I knew they were on to what we were doing, and I knew they'd show her no mercy. It's all my fault ... all my fault, for exposing her that way. I immediately went to her office and hid all of the records she'd been working with. And then, the next morning, I was sacked. I knew the mole would be after me too, so I didn't stick around to find out what would come next. I slipped out of the building and came straight here. But I've been asking myself for days if there was anything I could do to find her."

"There's no need to worry," said Angelina. "She's smart. She knew she was being followed, and she was prepared to disapparate at a moment's notice. When she saw the goons waiting outside the Ministry that day, she was ready." And after a pause, Angelina continued, with emphasis, "And she knew that she had friends, so she went immediately to Lavender and Harry."

The kettle was screaming now, and Kingsley removed it from the flame and made the tea. During the next hour they shared information and tried to work on a plan, but there were too many uncertainties. Much of what would follow depended on what Susan had uncovered in her investigation. Unfortunately, Kingsley had gotten no further than the band of conspirators had in identifying the mole. Like them, he felt certain that it was one of the Gang of Four, but he couldn't say which. It might even be more than one of them, though he doubted that. Secretive criminals don't like to have rivals around; rivals sometimes get ideas, and they might push another aside at the most unpredictable moment. So there was likely just one culprit among them. Each of the Gang of Four had been involved in cases that had backfired, and each one was jealous of the power that Kingsley had held as Chief Auror. It seemed impossible to separate personal animosities and ambitions from true criminality. In short, although the list of suspects was a short one, the mole was well concealed.

Kingsley explained further: "Haydon was irritated to no end when I assigned Susan to my project, and it bothered him even more that I wouldn't tell him what it was about. But the head of Intelligence would be expected to react like that, right? So that tells us nothing. Susan has a lot of information tucked away in her head, and maybe she can take us further with this. I haven't talked about details with her for a while; for the past couple of months, as all the rumors about me have been flying, I've tried to do my job, to hold things together as well as possible, to give her time to work through the records. I asked her to tell me if she found anything solid, but as far as I know, she hasn't."

"And we haven't pushed her to tell us anything," said Harry. "She's physically uninjured, but she was traumatized by the attack. She had been living with the stress of knowing that people were after her, and then, finally, they made their move. And we know that if we showed up at the Ministry and starting throwing charges around, claiming there was a mole, we'd be seen as a bunch of fools and renegades. And if we did make claims like that, and they were based on any information we'd received from Susan, she would have to answer for it. So we've left her alone. Maybe, though, with you on board, she might decide that she can share some information with us."

At this point, Angelina spoke. "It's almost dawn, and some of us need to leave. I think that you should stay here, Kingsley, but we'll take turns keeping watch, so you can relax a bit, and get some sleep." And she added, "And we'll bring some food for you too."

Ron and Angelina departed, leaving Harry on guard while Kingsley went upstairs to sleep. Angelina promised to inform Lavender of the latest developments, and to return soon with food for Kingsley.


	5. An Unfinished Song

Amidst the fear and tension that had arisen from the attack on Susan Bones, and the subsequent takeover of the Aurors by the Gang of Four, there was one small source of comfort for the conspirators. It was evident that Susan's disappearance remained a continuing embarrassment for those who were now running the Auror Department. Although the Gang of Four could blame Kingsley's failings as much as they liked for the attack, he was now out of the picture, and that was yesterday's news. Today, people wanted to know what the current leaders were doing to find the perpetrators of the crime. As far as the average Witch or Wizard knew, Susan was either dead, or a captive in the hands of a criminal gang that had been brazen enough to commit a kidnapping, and possibly a murder, at the very doors of the Ministry. Clearly, something needed to be done to bring the culprits to justice.

But Angelina also saw that there was a danger in all of this: "Keep in mind," she said to Harry and Ron one evening, "that the mole, whoever it is, is the only person in the Gang, even in the Ministry, who actually knows that Susan escaped the attack. And if the criminals who are behind all of this ever catch on to what we're doing, and discover where Susan is hiding, they can stage an attack, murder all of us, and blame the original attack on us. They'll simply tell the world that we're the bad guys who abducted her, and they'll say that we killed Susan during their attempted rescue. Most of the public will believe it, and they'll be relieved that the new leaders have restored law and order, after Kingsley's supposed failures. And with Susan out of the way for good, the mole could stop worrying about what she might know, and what she might say. It would be like befuddling two gnomes with one flick of the wand. So they're definitely feeling the heat right now, but that makes them very dangerous. Don't forget that for a minute!"

August was now well along, and the school year would begin in just two weeks. Soon there would be children in the house almost every day. Even now, parents were beginning to visit, to meet with the Headmistress and talk about enrolling their children. The teachers were also beginning to spend time in the building, preparing for the new term. Clearly, it was becoming increasingly dangerous for Susan to be in the house, and the conspirators agreed that the time had come to move her to another location.

Grimmauld Place seemed to fit the bill. Susan had been overjoyed to learn that Kingsley had been located, and that he was safely in hiding. However, once the option of moving her to Grimmauld Place began to be discussed, she realized that it was also time for her to make a decision. Either she should report back to her job at the Ministry, or at the very least, inform the Ministry that she was alive and safe, or she should truly join with the band of conspirators, remain in hiding, and share with them whatever information she had. She considered these matters carefully, and with Kingsley now on board with the other conspirators, she decided to do what she felt was right, albeit illegal. It hadn't been easy for her to come to this conclusion, as it seemed to contradict everything she had ever believed about the proper behavior of law enforcement officials. But as she herself noted, when the foxes take charge of the hen house, certain adjustments become necessary.

Late one night, after careful preparation, the group escorted Susan to Grimmauld Place, where she and Kingsley greeted each other warmly. Now there was only one location for the other conspirators to guard. Meanwhile, the group had determined that Dean should remain in a more peripheral position in the group. He was not in hiding, and he continued to perform as a musician at venues around the country. As he was out and about so much, he agreed with the others that it would be best if they did not inform him of the secret location at Grimmauld Place. He continued to stay with Harry and Lavender, off and on, depending on his performing schedule.

0-0-0

One warm evening, a few days after Susan had joined Kingsley at Grimmauld Place, Harry and Lavender finished washing the supper dishes, and went to sit in the garden for a while, where they could enjoy the sounds of evening coming on, and the scent of the last roses of the season. Dean was staying with them that evening, and he had gone out to the garden shortly after supper. As Harry and Lavender sat quietly, amidst the rose bushes, they heard Dean singing, not far away, and apparently unaware that they were near.

It was a song they hadn't heard before, composed in the form of an old ballad, telling a story that apparently was not yet complete. The main character in the song was a young lady who had been the mistress in her father's home. She was now a fugitive, fleeing from a band of villains who pursued her, because she knew enough about their deeds to have them condemned. Her father, out of kindness, had given shelter in his home to a bedraggled group of men, but they had turned out to be highwaymen. When the father discovered this, he had confronted them, and they had killed him and taken ownership of the home. The daughter had fled, and now the criminals were searching the countryside for her. The song had a haunting melody, and in the chorus the lady wondered if she would ever again see her home, and lie safely in her own bed.

In the the last verse that Dean sang, the lady entered a village, far from her home. She met a young man there, and related her story to him. The song ended here, apparently not yet finished. Would the two return to her home, and confront the bandits? Would they wander away, and start a new life together? It wasn't clear. As Dean finished singing this verse, Lavender reached over to Harry, took his hand, and gently pulled him away. They rose quietly and returned to the house. Once back inside, Lavender reminded Harry that Susan and Dean had been spending a good deal of time together over the past couple of weeks. They seemed to have become quite friendly, but she didn't know if anything more than that had developed.

"I don't know either, Lav. I do know that Dean has gotten very tired of the wandering life. He's told me more than once how it wears on him to be traveling all the time. It's impossible to develop lasting relationships, and he can see how it has affected his own outlook and behavior. He sees the danger of getting used to the idea of never being close to others."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Lavender, "but it's encouraging that he understands how it's affecting him. Susan has a stable life now, or at least she did until a couple of weeks ago, but she's been alone for a long time, with almost no living family members. I can see how they might find some comfort in sharing their thoughts with each other. And it just burns me up how Voldemort and his followers could cause so much misery, and to what purpose? Just for the pleasure of pushing everyone else around? What is it about people who crave power? I've never understood it."

At this point they heard Dean coming down the hall, and he entered the parlor with his guitar. "Hey guys," he said, "I've got a gig up north for the next few nights, so I'll be heading out in the morning."

"Come back when you can, Dean; you're always welcome here," said Lavender.

"Thanks; I really do appreciate it. And, um, is there any word from the two fugitives?"

"They're both fine," said Harry. "We're going to have a meeting tomorrow night. Susan will be telling us what she learned from her investigation, and we're hoping she has enough information to allow us to identify the culprit."

"Good. Say hello for me, OK? I've enjoyed getting to know her; she's a pretty good person."

"Yes," said Lavender, "she really is. I hope we'll see the end of this business soon, and that everyone can return to their normal lives."


	6. Bank Records

Dean departed the next morning for a gig in Edinburgh, and the rest of the conspirators convened that evening at Grimmauld Place. Tonight Susan would share the results of her investigation. After the group arrived, Kingsley made tea, and they all settled in around the kitchen table as Susan began:

"I have to begin by telling all of you how grateful I am for all the kind help and attention that you've given me over the past two weeks. Without your help, especially Lavender's, I would be a fugitive on the run, or worse ... Thank you, everyone!

"And I also want to thank you for your patience. Nobody has pressed me to speak up about what I know, and that was very good of you. I really felt unsure of where my duties lay, but I've come to recognize that with the Aurors now under the direct influence of a mole, there's only one proper choice. I've talked this through with Mr. Shacklebolt, but I alone am responsible for the decision I've made. And I've decided that if I am breaking the law by sharing this information, without authorization from the current authorities, I'll just have to live with the consequences.

"As you all know, I've been going through files for the past few months, trying to discover a pattern, ever since Mr. Shacklebolt assigned me to this task. He told me at the time that the job was absolutely secret, for his eyes and ears only, and of course I could see why, but it did put me in difficult straits with some of the other officers in the Auror Department. I was subjected to a lot of questioning that was intended to sound casual, but actually was quite pointed, and it became clear to me that the Gang of Four had suspicions, to put it mildly, that I was looking into irregularities that might relate to them, and that they resented my actions. Each of them may have had his or her own motives, but through rumor and innuendo they were working together to discredit Mr. Shacklebolt, and to bring an end to my investigation. They were never certain of what I was looking into, but like you, they didn't have a hard time guessing at it. Especially the mole, whoever it is.

"Now, to be clear, we have four suspects, who often work together, but we believe that the most reasonable possibility is that there is just one actual mole, and that the other three are unwitting accomplices of that person. It's my belief that each of the other three believes that the fourth person is another disgruntled officer in the force, like themselves. And the sad consequence of this is that the other three are blind to what is going on.

"The Gang of Four, as many on the force have long referred to them, includes Sam Haydon, Director of Intelligence; Elena Savage, formerly Elena Borgin, Director of Finance and Logistics; Toby Lennox, Director of Operations; and Terry Strickland, Director of Personnel. All of them have long histories with the Aurors, going back to at least before the second war against Voldemort, except for Strickland, who came over from the Department of International Magical Cooperation shortly after the war. I have examined their records, and I've found nothing in any of their pasts to link them to the criminal world.

"So it's Sam, Elena, Toby, and Terry, all four of whom previously reported directly to Mr. Shacklebolt, the overall Director -"

"Susan," Kingsley broke in, "please call me Kingsley. We're all friends here."

"OK, I'll try to remember. Anyway, they all reported directly to, uh, Kingsley, but now, as you know, Sam is Interim Director while retaining his position as Director of Intelligence. Of course, I haven't seen any of them since they assumed control of the whole operation, but even before that, they were, as the saying goes, 'thick as thieves,' basically a private club with four members. If you walked into a room, and two of them were present, they would stop talking, and watch you, as though you had intruded into their private space. If you said 'Hello' or 'Good Morning,' you generally received little more than a grunt in reply. The point I'm getting at is this: They seem to think alike about everything, they trust only each other, and it's pretty clear to me that they exchange information on topics that should be walled off to only one or two of them."

"How do you know that?" asked Angelina.

"At Kingsley's instruction," Susan replied, "I've read through their reports from the past few years, and each of them, at times, alludes offhandedly to information that never should have been available to him or her. Even at the top of an organization like this, there are rules about who sees and hears what, on a need-to-know basis, but these folks have been flagrant about ignoring those rules."

Now Kingsley spoke: "From time to time I've reminded them, at executive meetings, that they should respect these barriers, that it's better for the organization, but the unspoken reply was that I should shut up and leave them to their own devices. They understood that as long as they held together as a clique, I couldn't fully exercise my authority, unless I made a dramatic move, such as trying to have one of them removed. I couldn't sack all four of them at once, without a lot of explaining to do to the Minister, so they knew they could defy me and get away with it. This is one of the ways that people like this play their little games."

Susan continued, "Well, as you know, the problems we've had have taken the form of field officers being sent to the wrong location, or sent to the right location, but too late, or at times being ambushed, because their plans had been leaked. So one might be inclined to suspect Toby, since he's the one who personally oversees operations, but since they talk with each other about everything, the others would know about planned operations, and they would be in a position to influence Toby's decisions.

"And this is where the group-think problem is so acute: as long as all of them trust each other, and nobody else, you can't tell from the outside who is running the show. Suppose they discuss plans for an Auror operation, and the bad apple suggests a particular approach, but a different idea prevails. It's not a problem; he or she just alerts the criminals to stay away, or clear out. The key to the mole's success is not to prevail in every decision, but to push steadily, to be patient, and always to know what the Aurors are doing.

"And for that reason, my investigation pretty much hit a wall. It was clearly one of these four, because nobody else would have the foreknowledge of so many plans and operations that had been disrupted, but I couldn't tease any one of them out, and pin it on that person.

"And that's when I went looking at the other side of the equation. Normally we are not allowed to see the banking records at Gringotts, but," and here she glanced at Kingsley, who nodded his approval, "because of the importance of this matter, Kingsley personally requested access, and it was granted. This is quite out of the ordinary, and quite secret.

"So I started looking at the history of major thefts that have taken place over the past few years, and trying to connect them to large deposits made at Gringotts. There's a lot of noise in the pattern, since people are moving money around all the time, but I noticed that four accounts at Gringotts often received large deposits in the weeks after a major heist. And I also found a link among the four accounts.

"But let me make something clear: It is perfectly legal for a person to hold an account under a false name, and it is also legal for the owner of an account to allow another person to make deposits to it. It happens all the time. So tracking when the money came in, and looking at who made the deposit, may not get you very far. In our case, the person making the deposit would likely be a low-level member of a criminal gang, or possibly even a person hired off the street, for a small sum, to walk into the bank, make a deposit, and hand the receipt to another person after exiting the building.

"But I noticed an odd pattern to the names on these four accounts that seemed to be receiving loot after thefts: The names on the accounts were Robert Ickert, Quincy Jenkin, Philip Keller, and Thomas Graham. The first thing that jumps out is that all of the first and last names have six letters. Also, the initials of each name fit another pattern. Look at this:"

Susan held up a piece of parchment on which she had written the alphabet, with the first 13 letters running left to right in the top row, and the last 13 from right to left in the bottom row:

A_B_C_D_E_F_G_H_I_J_K_L_M  
Z_Y_X_W_V_U_T_S_R_Q_P_O_N

"So each of these names consists of a six-letter first name, and a six-letter last name, with the first name beginning with a letter from the second row, and the second name beginning with the letter directly above it in the sequence. R below I for Robert Ickert, and so forth. And of our gang of four, one of the names fits this pattern, Sam - actually Samuel - Haydon, H above S, but -"

"But it might be a decoy." said Angelina, as Kingsley and Susan both nodded.

"Exactly," said Susan. "First of all, this is not a very complicated pattern. The real mole might have set up the four accounts this way, with a pattern that was fairly easy to recognize, and with this hint that Sam Haydon is the bad guy. And then, if Sam were to be arrested, or even questioned, the real mole would be forewarned."

"So are we stuck?" asked Harry.

"Maybe," said Susan, "but I do have a bit more - "

"Excuse me, Susan," said Angelina. "I agree that these four accounts look suspicious, and that they seem to be linked with current criminal activities, but what links them to each other?"

Susan continued, "It's a long story, but here's how they're linked: First, the four accounts seem to have a common origin. I looked back in the records, and I found that the accounts were opened at almost the same time, just a few months after the Battle of Hogwarts. Also, the deposits into all of the accounts, for the first three years, followed an unusual and coordinated pattern. First, all four accounts were opened with international transfers of gold, and all deposits for the first three years were also international transfers of gold. There is no way to transfigure gold, or to apparate it in large quantity, so it has to be physically carried from one point to another. Therefore, it's easier to track than some other sorts of valuables.

"Now, as I said, the accounts were opened just a few months after the war ended. In the first year, transfers of 2000, 3000, and 4000 Galleons were made from Salzburg, Austria, into one of the four accounts at Gringotts, at four month intervals, in January, May, and September of the year after the battle. By itself that's not much to work with, and it could be completely legitimate. That would bring 9000 Galleons into the country each year, which is under the 10,000 Galleon limit, so it's legal, and it doesn't raise any red flags; if someone brings in 10,000 Galleons or more in a single year there are reports to fill out. Because of this, people sometimes transfer gold in smaller increments over several years, to avoid having to report it.

"But there was an identical pattern, also three deposits, also 2000, 3000, and 4000 Galleons, coming in from Munich, Germany, to another of the accounts, and these were arriving a month later, in February, June, and October. And one month later, in March, July, and November, the same amounts come in from Bern, Switzerland, to the third account, and in April, August, and December, the same amounts came into the fourth account, from Lyon, France. Note that the cities are in four different countries, and that the gold from each of these cities was deposited in a different one of these four accounts at Gringotts. These patterns are what make them all look coordinated. So money is coming in, precisely one deposit per month into one or another of the accounts, and it adds up to 36,000 Galleons in the first year.

"Then, in the second year, all four accounts switch to another pattern. Now Munich starts the cycle by making its first deposit in January, with Bern in February, and so forth, and the following year all four rotate in tandem again. Also, the amounts of the three deposits to each account are coordinated. One year they're all 2000, 3000, 4000 through the year, and the next, they're all 3000, 4000, and 2000. So four different accounts at Gringotts are receiving a total of 36,000 Galleons per year in a coordinated pattern, right on schedule, for three years running, until the sum is a bit less than 100,000, and at that point all four series of deposits come to a halt. Since the time that the international transfers ceased, all deposits to these accounts have been domestic, and as I indicated earlier, they generally occur after major thefts, and often to cases in which the Aurors were misdirected or attacked.

"But I haven't been able to connect the original deposits from the continent to a crime. I've searched for evidence of a major theft, something around 100,000 Galleons, in each of the four cities I mentioned earlier, and in other cities nearby, and I can't see where all of that gold came from."

"I think I know where it came from," said Lavender, who had listened quietly until now, along with the others. All eyes turned to her.

Lavender looked around the table, and continued, "I think it's my parents' gold. They were killed in Verona, just around the time of the Battle of Hogwarts. They had been in hiding, off and on, since the first war, after being targeted by Voldemort for refusing to join him. At the time they were killed, they had around 100,000 Galleons with them, since they expected to stay away for quite a while. I have all the receipts at home. To avoid being tracked by Voldemort's people, they transferred the gold to one location, and then to another and another, and eventually to Verona, so there would be no record of a direct transfer from Gringotts to Italy.

"After I was sufficiently recovered from my injuries, which was a long time after the battle, I traveled to Verona, and I tried to determine what had happened to my Mum and Dad, but I didn't get very far. The bank provided copies of receipts, including the withdrawal of the 100,000 Galleons. I don't know if the people who killed my parents put the Imperius Curse on my father, or just held my mother hostage, and told him to withdraw the money himself, and to raise no alarm, but one way or another, the records showed that my father personally made the withdrawal, and arranged for the bank to deliver the gold to my parents' house, which is in the countryside nearby. That's why there are no reports of major thefts at the time. My parents were found dead in the house, several days later, and the Italian Aurors brought them back to London, while I was still recovering at Hogwarts. Later, we held a memorial service, and my parents were buried in the garden. It's been an unsolved case, but I think you just narrowed it down to one of these four people.

"I know I should be crying, instead of speaking soberly like this, but I've been through this so many times, and I just have to give it to you directly. I'm sure I'll have a good cry later. Or ... maybe right now," and she stood and hurried out of the room, with Harry following closely.

Those who remained in the room sat quietly for a few moments, and soon heard Lavender sobbing in a nearby room. At length, Susan lifted her wand, and projected a map of Europe onto the wall. She flicked her wand a few times, and the four cities from which the gold had been transferred to Gringotts glowed green. Their positions formed an arc, and when she flicked her wand again, Verona glowed red. It was about equally distant from each of the other four cities. "Well, it does fit; if you start in Verona, and travel into four neighboring countries, those are the first cities you reach that are large enough to have Wizarding banks. So it looks like this person initially transferred the money into banks in these four countries, waited a few months to see if there would be any trouble, and then began the series of transfers that I described, to bring it all back to London."

Now Parvati rose, and began to speak, calmly but with tears in her eyes. "Her parents loved gardens, and her mother especially loved lavender plants. They were always hiding, ever since the first war against Voldemort, and they used to spend time in Verona, you know, the city of lovers, of Romeo and Juliet, where there are lavender fields all around. They were crazy romantics, just like Lavender, and you can see where she got the bug."

Parvati sobbed for a moment, and then continued: "Padma and I visited them in Verona a couple of times, when we were little, and we used to run around in their garden with Lavender, and have adventures. One time her parents took us to see the statue of Juliet, and we all left notes to her in the cracks in the wall, just like all the other silly tourists do, telling her our secret romantic wishes. Look, we all knew that Romeo and Juliet were just fictitious characters, even then, but when you go there, and you're twelve years old, and you see that statue of Juliet in the courtyard, and the balcony, you just feel like maybe it really is true, and maybe Juliet can help you find the love of your life. And I know that you don't need me tell you about this, but I just want you to understand something about who Lavender's parents were." Then Parvati sobbed again, and rushed out of the room to join Lavender and Harry.

Now everyone paused to take stock of their feelings. After a while, Ron spoke, rather quietly: "Susan, it looks like we have a pretty good idea of when it all happened, almost to the day. Maybe we can see if any of the Gang of Four were in Italy at that time, or at least if their whereabouts at the time are unknown?"

"Well, until just now I didn't have a precise date for the initial theft that had yielded the gold, not even a certainty that there was a theft, just a general idea that something had happened in that region of Europe, based on the transfers to Gringotts. But I can tell you already what's in the files. I spent a good deal of time trying to track the movements of the Gang of Four, trying to link them to something, and I discovered that all of the travel records from the year of the Battle, and for the year before and the year after, are missing. These records are kept in large, bound volumes, in the Auror Central Files room, and the volumes for those three years are missing. So it looks like someone has been covering their trail."

"One more question," said Ron. "As you've indicated, there are four vaults at Gringotts, registered in four different fake names, and the Gang of Four is, well, four people. Could they be dividing the money from the illegal activities? What I'm really asking is how confident you are that only one of them is truly working against the Ministry?"

"I think those numbers are just a coincidence," said Susan. "At the time that the accounts were set up, there was no Gang of Four, and I think the use of four accounts was just a device for transferring the gold back to Gringotts from Europe quickly enough to be completed in three years, rather than nine or ten. Haydon, Savage, Lennox, and Strickland, didn't really become a clique until about two years ago; Haydon has been in charge of Intelligence for several years, but the others weren't promoted to their current posts until after the war ended. So I still think that just one of them is the actual criminal, and that he or she has found a way to draw the others into this group.

"Each of them seems to harbor a sense of grievance, and I think that the mole is the kind of person who knows how to manipulate that feeling, through suggestion and innuendo and outright lying. This kind of person pretends to be sympathetic to the situations of others, and invents stories about what someone else has said or done, or even what someone else _believes_ \- and in that manner cultivates this resentment, and directs it at specific targets, such as Kingsley. There are people who do this sort of thing habitually, and some of them are very effective; they play on people's egos, their sense of grievance. And I'm sorry to say that too many people behave like sheep, and allow themselves to be led around like this."

At this point, Harry, Lavender, and Parvati returned to the room. Lavender's eyes were red, and she held a handkerchief in her hand. As she seated herself, she said, "I'm sorry, everyone; I didn't want to break down in front of all of you, but those feelings all came back to me, once I'd explained things to you."

Susan replied, "Lavender, I'm so sorry. But I promise we'll do all we can to find this person."

Then, turning to the group, she continued: "And I have an idea. I told you already about the rules for deposits at Gringotts, but withdrawals are different. It is allowed, under very special circumstances, for a person to authorize another to withdraw items from their vault." Hearing this, Harry recalled that Hagrid had done just that for Professor Dumbledore, when he had removed the Philosopher's Stone from vault 713 during Harry's first visit to Gringotts.

"But it's a complicated thing to arrange," Susan continued, "and careful records of those withdrawals are kept, so it can't be hidden very easily. What I'm thinking is that if we could somehow induce the mole to withdraw some of his or her gold from any of these four accounts, even to move some of it from one vault to another, that person would have to appear at the bank, as themselves, undisguised. They would come to the bank alone, to keep anyone else from knowing about the visit. And they would do this quietly. But if we were on watch outside, we'd see that person come and go. And," she added, with a smile, "it wouldn't involve a maniacal stunt like the one that Harry, Ron, and Hermione once pulled off. But I don't know how we could induce the mole to move the gold at a predetermined time."

"I think I do," said Kingsley. "If this person believes that he - or she - has been discovered, and that they have a short period of time in which to hide at least some of their gold, they might take that risk."

"And how would we convince them of that?" asked Ron.


	7. Verona

Two days later, Dean and Susan left for Italy. When the possibility of Susan traveling alone was first considered, everybody was opposed, but nobody else among the main conspirators was free to accompany her. Shortly afterwards, Dean returned to town. He had no performances on his schedule for the next few weeks, and he offered to accompany Susan on this trip, to the great relief of the others.

As they prepared to depart, Angelina instructed Susan and Dean in the necessary tradecraft for traveling safely and secretly. They would use the Muggle train system, and they would change trains from time to time. The general pattern was to disembark at small stations, where they could see if anyone else left the train, and then board a later train to continue their journey. Sometimes they would even backtrack a few stations before reversing direction again. They used Polyjuice Potion to change their appearances from time to time, and they traveled separately, though in the same coach, seated in positions that allowed each of them watch for persons who might be tailing the other.

After arriving in Paris, they traveled southward to Lyon; from there they would depart for Turin and Milan, with Verona as their final destination. By the time they reached Lyon, they felt confident that they hadn't been followed, but they recalled Angelina's admonition that even if they succeeded in shaking off followers, they might be spotted later. Therefore, they continued to travel in disguise, but now they felt comfortable enough to sit together, facing each other across a table, so they could watch other passengers in either direction.

One morning, in the southern Alps, between Lyon and Turin, Susan and Dean were having coffee and croissants in a nearly empty coach. Feeling somewhat at ease, Susan broached a subject that had been on her mind of late: "I really like your songs, Dean. You're very thoughtful and expressive."

"Thanks."

"But I am sorry that so many of them are sad."

"Yes, I do sometimes wonder if I let myself drift too far in that direction."

"Well, you have to say what you believe; you have to be honest when you write. What I'm saying is that I'm concerned for you. We've had such awful troubles over the past several years. We've seen horrible things happen to the people we loved. But Voldemort's gone now, and I just hope that we can find a way to pull ourselves out of it. Better things are possible now, and there's a new generation coming along. You know, the children at Lavender's school, and others like them. I worry that if we burden them with too much of our grief, they won't have a proper childhood."

"Are you saying that there's a way to set aside the sadness?"

"I only wish there were. Please don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that we can simply brush those thoughts aside, and I certainly have my bad days, just like everyone else. I'm just saying, in a more general way, that I'm uncomfortable with the idea, for you and me and others, that everything we've been through would continue to control us. I just wonder if there isn't a way for us to rise above it, to try to contain our negative feelings. Each of us has only a limited time in this world, and the way we behave affects others. And sometimes I ask myself if we can use that understanding to find a way to help pull each other along. Is it horribly naïve of me to think that way?"

"No, Susan, I don't think it is. I'd even argue that you're more of a realist than those who hang their heads in despair. What I think you're saying is that something better is possible, and that you're willing to take on your share of the job of getting us there. None of us can accomplish it alone, but maybe if some of us try to pull in the right direction, others will join in."

"You know, Dean, Lavender has this idea that she brings up sometimes, about how important it is to try to 'heal the world.' And one time, when I was feeling really low, and everything seemed hopeless, she said that it's not our job to finish the task, because it's too big for any of us. But if we all try to do our part, you know, help to carry the project along, it won't seem so daunting, and as you say, one person can inspire others. But I don't claim to have any special understanding of how to do that. I'll never forget my parents, or my Aunt Amelia, or the rest of my family, but I do know that they all believed in trying to make the world better, and I feel that I would be dishonoring their memories if I surrendered to despair."

"Those are good thoughts, Susan. Maybe another way to look at it is that we're the survivors, and that we should consider the meaning of that. We're the bridge to the future, if anyone is. Your family, Harry's parents, Lavender's parents, my dad, and so many others, are all gone now. Our generation, and our parents' generation, had a hard time of it, and a lot of us didn't make it. But maybe things can be better for the next generation, and perhaps we should recognize that the job of helping them along has fallen to us, if only by chance. And why would I want to deny them some happiness?"

Now, as the train stopped briefly in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Susan and Dean drifted back into their own thoughts, and soon they were quietly watching the mountains glide past them again, as they approached the Italian border.

A little while later, Dean spoke again: "Susan, I don't want to pry into your personal life, so just tell me if this is something you'd rather not talk about, but ... I'm wondering what you do, you know, from day to day."

"I'm not sure I understand your question."

Dean smiled, and said, "I'm not sure I do either, but it's something like this: I've been wandering around for a few years now. It started during what should have been my seventh year at Hogwarts. I couldn't prove that I had any Wizarding ancestry, so I had to stay away from school, and I was also hiding from Snatchers, so I had to keep moving. I almost got caught a few times. And then I finally did get caught, and they locked me in the Malfoys' cellar. But I was lucky, and I escaped with some others who were being held there.

"And then, after the battle, and the defeat of the Death Eaters, I felt that it was best if I continued to stay away from my mother and stepfather, and my two sisters, at least for a while longer, to avoid endangering them. A lot of those criminals were still at large, many of them still are, and some of them are looking for revenge; and I was afraid that someone might track me to my family, and hurt them. One of these days I'll go back and see them, but I'm still afraid to do that. So I haven't seen them in years, though I write from time to time. I've found that the Muggle mail system works pretty well, but I'm always moving, and my family has no way to contact me.

"So when the war ended, I went back to wandering around, working odd jobs here and there, and then moving on. One day I picked up a guitar, and I started playing and singing songs I liked, and then I began to write a few of my own. But I never found a place to live for more than a month or two at a time. So I've met a lot of people, and I've had a lot of adventures, and I've learned a lot. And some of what I've seen has been very positive, you know, really good people, but after a while it's always time to move on. And I guess that what I'm saying is that I've become pretty tired of all the rambling around."

Susan replied, "That's sort of the opposite of my life. I took a job at the Ministry right after school, and I settled down. Is that what you're asking me about?"

"Yeah, something like that. I'm just wondering what it's like when you head home each day."

"Well, I live in the house that I grew up in, my parents' house, but now I'm alone there, except for my cat. After work each day I go home, I cook my supper, I read, sometimes I take a walk in the park, nothing very exciting. I have a small garden in the back, and sometimes, when the weather is nice, I sit out there in the evening and play my flute. Then I go to work the next day. And when I take a few days off, I like to go hiking."

"So are you lonely?"

Susan sighed, and said, "I guess it's just something I've gotten used to. Look, Dean, there's a separate flat attached to my house. It has its own entrance, and I don't really use it. Would you like to stay there for a while, and see if you like it? I know you've been living with Harry and Lavender recently, but you'd have more privacy in my little place. Maybe you'd feel more settled there. We'd be neighbors, but I wouldn't bother you. You would have your life, and I'd have mine."

Dean smiled, and said, "I think you sort of figured out what I was trying to ask, better than I was able to ask it."

"Well," Susan replied, returning the smile, "I'm glad to hear that. So are you interested?"

"Yes, it sounds nice; I'd like to give it a try. Thank you."

"You're quite welcome; let's call it settled."

0-0-0

Toward the end of the day they arrived in Verona. Susan located the public owlery, and dispatched three owls to the Auror Department in London, per standard practice for coded messages to the Ministry. Each message bore a magical seal, indicating definitively that it had been sent from Verona, and by Susan. Each message also had been charmed so that when the seal was broken the parchment would transfigure to blue smoke a few minutes later. Each of the three owls carried an identical message, but the three copies were encoded differently, and each owl also carried the decoding keys for the two other copies. Therefore, if any two of the owls arrived safely at the Ministry, with their parchments sealed, the message could be decoded. It would also be known with certainty that no more than one owl had been intercepted, and that the message carried by that owl could not have been decoded.

The message that the owls carried was simple and direct: "Currently in Verona, investigating double murder and theft of gold. Request immediate meeting with Head of Department upon return. Have information vital to the safeguarding of the service." The arrival of this message in London, dispatched from Verona, and signed by Susan, whose current official status was 'missing and possibly dead,' would have an immediate impact among the top officers of the Auror force, currently the Gang of Four, but of those four, only the mole would understand the full significance of the message, and its point of origin. Each of the other three, however, would be keen to know the meaning of the final sentence.

Angelina had estimated the number of days it would take for Dean and Susan to travel to Verona, and for the owls to reach London. She and the rest of the conspirators were prepared for the next phase of the operation. Meanwhile, once Susan had posted the messages, her job was complete. She and Dean could return to London immediately, but they decided to stay and enjoy the town for a few days before heading home.

Among other things, Susan wanted to see the statue of Juliet, Shakespeare's tragic heroine, under the famous balcony. She knew, of course, that Romeo and Juliet were fictional characters, just as Parvati had said, but that did not diminish her compassion for the star-crossed lovers.

And as she explained to Dean, she had fond personal memories of Lavender's sweet parents, who had loved this place, and had died nearby. It also seemed to her that Juliet's courtyard, which the Browns had visited long ago with Lavender, Parvati, and Padma, was a proper place for her to sit for a while and think of the Lavender's parents, and of all the members of her own family who had been lost. She was sure that those memories would bring tears to her eyes, but she hadn't expected to find herself sobbing almost uncontrollably. However, none of the other visitors to the courtyard seemed to be bothered, and she allowed herself a good cry.

After a while, when she was ready to leave, she smiled to Dean, through her tears, and tried to explain her behavior: "I know I'm being ridiculous, but my feelings are genuine. I'm thinking of the good people we lost in the war. But I admit that I'm also crying for Romeo and Juliet! Is it crazy to be so emotional about characters from a story, even though you know that someone invented them?"

"No," said Dean, "it's real empathy either way, and that's a good thing. I feel sorry for people who can't experience these emotions."

"Thank you, Dean. I do feel silly, but I'm not embarrassed at all."

Dean took Susan's hand, and together they walked out of the courtyard and into the Via Cappello. Susan paused for a moment, just outside the arched entrance, and turned and looked back at the statue. Dean smiled, and asked, "Well, are you going to say it?"

"You know what I'm thinking?"

"Well, it's just a guess: 'Parting is such sweet sorrow ...'"

"Yes, that's it. Let's go now, before I make a complete fool of myself."

And they walked off into the town.


	8. Two Sacks of Gold

Angelina was at work, and near the Auror executive offices, on the day that she expected the owls to arrive. She had arranged to work all week on a project that would place her in that area, in case the owls were delayed. Late in the morning, she and the others who were working with her were abruptly ordered to leave the area immediately. They were informed that the 'big boys and girls' were about to hold an urgent meeting, and that the 'children had to go play somewhere else'.

"Good," she thought, "this is it. And as always, the message is delivered with condescension."

She took her time gathering up her files, and tarried long enough in the corridor near Sam Haydon's office to see the other three directors troop in, looking as self-important as always. As they passed by Angelina in the hall, they eyed her as though she had been spreading spattergroit around the Ministry. She departed that section of the Ministry and signaled Ron and Harry; within a few minutes, each of them had separately exited the Ministry building. Outside, they saw the other conspirators, well disguised, and waiting for the signal. The group quickly traveled to Diagon Alley and took up positions near Gringotts. For one last time, Angelina pleaded with Kingsley to be allowed to stand with him when the action began, but once again he insisted that she remain at a distance, along with the others, unless it became absolutely necessary for her to appear. "If this doesn't come off as planned, I don't want anyone but myself to be in trouble," he said. "I can't allow you to risk your career like this. And if it all blows up, we'll need someone on the inside, in case another chance to fix this mess ever arises."

Angelina reluctantly aquiesced to Kingsley's order, and the two of them individually drifted into the crowd on the street. About an hour later, as though by appointment, one member of the Gang of Four approached the bank. Once that person had entered, Kingsley waited a few minutes, and then sent a message to the Minister of Magic and the other three members of the clique, written clearly in his own hand: "If you wish to learn the identity of the mole in the Auror Department, come immediately to the entrance of Gringotts." A few minutes later the Minister and the other three arrived.

"What's all this?" demanded Haydon, as he walked up to Kingsley, who stood alone in front of the bank. "Are you out of your mind?"

The Minister of Magic also was outraged: "Kingsley, you've been sacked, and for good reason. This is outrageous! How dare you send such a message?"

Kingsley replied, "Minister, we've had a mole in the Aurors for the past two years and more. The Aurors and the entire Ministry have suffered greatly during that time, not to mention my credibility and yours. And you're about to see this person walk out of the bank, carrying a good deal of gold. The three Division Chiefs around you will understand why this is happening just now."

As the Minister looked from one Chief to another, Elena Savage emerged from the front door of Gringotts, carrying two heavy sacks, which held all the gold she could carry. As was determined later, she had just transferred the contents of the four vaults that she controlled under false names into a previously empty vault, under another false name, and she was now making off with as much as she could carry. She planned to go into hiding before Susan returned, with hopes of retrieving the rest of the loot at some future time. As she emerged from the bank, and saw Kingsley, the Minister, and her three fellow Division Chiefs standing outside, she paused for a moment, smiled ruefully, shrugged, and dropped the two bags to the ground. She made no move to reach for her want, but Kingsley disarmed her anyway. The three other members of the Gang of Four all lowered their heads in shame, as they suddenly and painfully realized what they had helped to accomplish, however unwittingly. Meanwhile, the other members of the conspiracy, observing these developments from among the onlookers in the street, faded into the crowd and departed the area.

Elena Savage soon confessed to all, including the two murders that she had committed in Verona. And she was about as loyal to her comrades in the criminal community as might be expected of a secretive crime boss who suddenly found herself cornered. In short, she spilled everything. Several major heists that had been committed over the past two years, with her advice and protection, were quickly solved, and the perpetrators soon arrested. In the weeks that followed, as details of her acts were reported in _The Prophet_ , claims came in from victims of these and other thefts, and many months later, after the cases had been adjudicated, the contents of Savage's vaults were distributed as fairly as possible, with approximately 60,000 Galleons eventually returned to Lavender. The rest had been spent long ago by Savage, or distributed to her accomplices.

But what of Elena Savage's past? With no reason to hide it any longer, she soon told her story. She was a daughter of the Borgin family, of Borgin and Burkes, Knockturn Alley, dealers in magical artifacts, legal and otherwise. Her name at birth had been Yelena Borgin (which fit the pattern of six-letter names, as members of the conspiracy quickly noted). However, she had dropped the "Y" before starting school, and had always been known as "Elena". She had married Rupert Savage, a wealthy business associate of her father's, and Savage had died sometime afterward, under unusual circumstances that might or might not have been attributable to his wife.

She had also served honorably for several years as an Auror, often on the same squad as Nymphadora Tonks. But at some point she had soured on law enforcement. She craved wealth and power, and she believed that Voldemort would win the war that she saw coming. And she believed that the wisest thing to do was to look after her own interests. One day, while traveling in Italy, she had chanced upon Lavender's parents, Lucy and Robert Brown, in the streets of Verona. As an Auror, she knew that Voldemort's minions had long been seeking to murder them. She followed them to their home, conceived a plan to commit the murders herself, and returned to her work in London.

Some time later, in the days preceding the assault on Hogwarts, as forces gathered on both sides, it became clear that the fate of Magical Britain would soon be decided. She slipped away from her Auror unit and returned to Italy. She murdered the Browns, seized their gold, and shipped it to banks in four neighboring countries. She then returned to Britain, her plan being to present herself to the victorious Voldemort, tell him what she'd done, and pledge her loyalty to him, but she was surprised to learn that he had been killed in the Battle of Hogwarts, and that against all odds, the Ministry and its loyalists had prevailed. Therefore, she kept her secret concealed, and concocted a story to explain why she had been absent during the fighting: she claimed that she had been hit by a disorientation spell in an early skirmish, and had wandered into the forest, where she had remained lost for several days. The story seemed plausible, and she soon resumed her role as an Auror. Over the next few years she climbed the ranks to Director of Finance and Logistics, and from that perch she had established herself as a secretive but powerful force in the crime world.

With an innate understanding of the jealousies and resentments harbored by those who crave power, Elena Savage had no trouble drawing the other department directors into a clique, based on their shared belief that the Ministry, and Kingsley Shacklebolt in particular, had never given them the credit or respect that they deserved. And always, _always_ , when in conversation with the others, she introduced her grievances subtly, making sure to let the others take the lead in the ensuing discussions, and allowing them to perceive her as merely a loyal junior member of the group, and little more than tolerated by the big boys. Privately, she regarded the other three as sheep, who could be led wherever she chose to take them. The other three were deemed innocent by the authorities, as there is no law against the promulgation of vicious office intrigue, but their negligence and incompetence were obvious, and they were unceremoniously sacked. When the full story eventually was told, they were recognized as the fools they were, who had allowed themselves to be manipulated by a criminal sociopath.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was restored to the Auror Directorship, and life in the force gradually returned to normal. Kingsley never revealed the participation of Angelina, Ron, Harry, and the other conspirators, though he did brief the Minister on the matter of Susan's cooperation, which was the only way to explain the arrival of the owls that had triggered the downfall of the mole. In light of the attack she had experienced, and her unwavering loyalty to the Auror mission, the Minister chose to overlook Susan's violation of several regulations, and he restored her to her position in Intelligence. He suspected that the operation had involved other individuals, but he could never be certain of this.


	9. Almost Halloween

In early October, Dean visited Lavender's school. He stood by the fountain with his guitar as the children assembled around him. After introducing him, Lavender walked to the back of the group, while the teachers sat with their classes. What followed was an explosion of song and laughter, as Dean led the children in a series of sing-alongs, punctuated by humorous stories about people and magical creatures. How much of it was fiction, and how much was fact, was difficult to determine. As Lavender knew, Dean had traveled extensively over the past few years, and he had experienced many good times and bad, and more than a few peculiar incidents. Still, some of the stories that he told seemed impossible to believe.

As the hour progressed, Dean gradually shifted from humor to songs about friendship, about finding the goodness in people, and the unpredictable ways in which acts of kindness and forgiveness make the world better for everyone. He finished with a song about honesty and fair play, and the students applauded, thanked him individually, and returned to their classrooms. For many days after that, as Lavender later told Dean, she would hear children humming or singing one or another of the songs from his concert, as they worked on projects in their classrooms and in the garden. Two girls in the oldest class, now age ten, even wrote their own stories about a character in one of his songs, and read them to their classmates.

0-0-0

And now, a few weeks later, it was nearly Halloween, and Harry and Lavender were having some friends over for their annual pre-Halloween party. There were always a lot of big, raucous parties on Halloween night, and Harry and Lavender felt that their quiet dinner party, held a few days earlier, provided a nice entrée to the crazy events still to come.

It was also an opportunity to try out some new recipes, and they had spent several days preparing a number of dishes, with names like troll casserole, ghostly salad (or ghastly salad; they couldn't quite decide which name they preferred), spider cakes, and skeleton soufflé, along with more traditional items, such as pumpkin pasties. While preparing the pumpkin filling for the pasties, Harry smiled as he recalled the exchange between Angelina and Kingsley during their encounter in the front hallway at 12 Grimmauld Place.

The night of the party soon arrived. It was a cool, dry evening, and the group would be spilling out into the gardens. Angelina, George, and the children arrived first, and "Uncle" Harry took little Fred and Roxanne to see the Forbidden Forest Wizard Chess set he'd built, with pieces representing centaurs, unicorns, hippogriffs, acromantulas, and other denizens of the forest at Hogwarts. The children were amused by the Kings, who bore a strong resemblance to Hagrid, but the Queens didn't seem right. Rather than noble and powerful-looking figures, they were squat little witches with toad-like faces, holding up their wands in a defensive posture. They were much shorter than the other pieces, with the queen of one set of pieces dressed in a garish turquoise, and the other in bright pink. Little Fred asked Harry, "Isn't the Queen the most powerful piece?" and Harry replied, with a laugh, "Well, yes, she's _supposed_ to be ..."

Harry had expected this reaction, and a few moments later he pulled out the alternative Queen pieces that he'd prepared, which pleased the children greatly: these pieces were tall and dignified, and they closely resembled the children's mother. Fred and Roxanne each grabbed one of them, and ran back to the parlor to show them to Angelina. When they found her, she was talking with "Aunt" Lavender, who was saying, "Honestly, the only moles I care to think about are the ones in the garden!" As Angelina laughed, the children accosted her with, "Mummy, Mummy, look what Uncle Harry made! You're the Queen in Wizard Chess!"

The front door rang, and Lavender excused herself and went to answer it. It was Parvati and Bruno, who entered arm in arm; shortly afterward, Luna and Neville arrived, then Kingsley, Padma, Hermione and Ron, Ginny and Michael, and others. A bit later, Susan and Dean arrived. Since they lived in the same house, they often traveled together to parties and other events.

After all the guests were present, Lavender and Harry began to bring in some of the warm dishes from the kitchen. Lavender circulated with a platter of pumpkin pasties. When she walked up to Kingsley, George, and Angelina, they were talking about Halloween pranks they had played as children.

"Pumpkin pasty, anyone?" asked Lavender, with a slightly mischievous smile. George and Kingsley each thanked her and took one, but Angelina politely declined.

"Are you sure, Angelina? Harry made these himself, using his own special recipe."

"They do look good," said Angelina, somewhat unconvincingly, "but, well ... OK, maybe just one."

"It's alright, I was kidding. Harry told me that you're officially on record as detesting these things."

The group laughed, and Angelina said, "Thanks for letting me off the hook, Lav. You know I love Harry's cooking, but I'm just one of those people who have never enjoyed the flavor of pumpkin. I think I must have eaten something that was off, when I was a child. So it's OK if I go for something else?"

"And that leaves more for the rest of us," said George, as he reached for another.

Nearby, Parvati was talking with Dean and Susan. A moment later, Fred and Roxanne approached, and dragged Dean off to another room to get him to tell them a story, leaving Parvati alone with Susan.

"So is everything at work back to normal?" asked Parvati.

"Well, yes, pretty much, but I don't really like all the attention. People have been very nice, and they're sympathetic, but they leave little presents on my desk, and I'm still being stopped in the hall to be told how wonderful it is to see me back. I mean, it's been two months already ..."

"But you realize that they're doing it because they're glad you're safe, don't you? And because they're grateful for the way things turned out? After all, from what I've heard, the Gang of Four was pretty unpopular, so besides your having made it through this experience, you also helped to restore some balance at the office."

"Well, yes, and I do appreciate it. But you know, I'm just not much of a social type. I'm used to working quietly on my own." Susan looked around for a moment, and then continued, in a lower voice, "Parvati, can I ask you something about Dean?"

"About Dean? Sure, but I don't know what I could tell you."

"Well, you were both Gryffindors back in school, so you must have known him a bit, through the years. Has he always been shy?"

" _Shy? Dean?_ " Parvati realized that in her surprise she had raised her voice, and she quickly lowered it again and continued, in just above a whisper: "That must be the first time I've heard that word used to describe him."

"Could you come out to the garden with me for a bit? I'm a little confused about him."

They walked together to the back of the house, and out into the garden, and soon they were sitting on a bench in a corner of the rose garden.

Susan continued, "Dean has been living in the flat that's attached to my house for several weeks now. I offered it to him because I knew that he was tired of rambling around, and I had this little place that I wasn't using. He travels, to give concerts, so he's in and out of town a lot, but now he has a place that he can call home. Sometimes I ask him over for supper, or for breakfast on a Sunday morning. And once in a while we have tea in the evening, and he'll bring over a dessert. We talk about this and that, and sometimes he opens up for a while, and tells me about his travels during the war, or his family, which he hasn't seen in a long time. We also talked during that trip to Italy, and I really like him."

"Yes, so is there a problem?"

"Well, sometimes I feel like - I don't quite know how to describe it - like he's afraid of me."

"Afraid of you?"

"I know, it makes no sense. We'll get to talking about something, and things will be going along nicely, and then he'll suddenly get quiet, and nervous looking, and pretty soon he says he has things he needs to do, and he leaves, kind of in a hurry. Look, Parvati, I don't pressure him about anything, and I'm certainly not trying to warm up to him. We're just friends, right? But I sometimes think that _he_ thinks that I'm trying to ensnare him in some way. And maybe that's why he slips away so quickly. I just don't understand what's going on."

Parvati smiled, and in her best imitation of 18th century syntax she said, "Do you not, my dear?"

"What do you mean?"

Parvati reached over and took one of Susan's hands.

"Susan, I don't know what's going on in Dean's head, but I'm going to make a guess. It's only a guess, but it's based on what you've just told me, and on a few things I've seen myself, like when we all have dinner together sometimes."

Susan nodded, and Parvati continued. "I think he likes you. I've seen him looking at you in a certain kind of a way, you know, equal parts admiration and distraction. And there are things he says sometimes. And based on what you've just told me, my guess is that he's afraid that if he comes right out and tells you, he'll ruin the friendly relationship that you have now. Like if he said that he was interested in you, and you didn't feel the same way, he wouldn't be able to undo it, and your relationship as friends would become awkward.

"So my guess is that when he's with you he feels good for a while, and he relaxes, and he opens up about his personal life, and his feelings about things, but then he becomes afraid that if he keeps talking he'll cross a line, maybe say something too direct, and that you might react negatively. That's when he becomes uncomfortable, and awkward, and decides that it's time to leave. What I'm saying is that he's not afraid that you're going after him; he's afraid that you'll think that of him, and he doesn't know how you'd react to that."

"How can you know these things?"

"Well, as I said, I'm just guessing, but it's a pattern I've seen before. Like when Harry and Lavender first began to find each other. It all worked out eventually, but because of the circumstances at the time, they were both talking to me, more than to each other, and both of them were completely mixed up about the other one. Maybe this is just the way these things develop sometimes. And maybe you should ask yourself how you feel about Dean. Do you think that you like him in that way?"

Susan looked down and said, "I've never had a boyfriend, and I don't know anything about stuff like that."

Parvati smiled, and in a sympathetic tone she said, "Susan, you didn't really answer my question ..."

"I know. But I'm not trying to be evasive; I guess I'm confused."

Continuing in her kindly manner, Parvati replied, "Yes, I figured that out. Now look, if this is your first time down this road, maybe you need to go slowly, but if it's something you think you'd like, perhaps you should give it a try. You know that line, from Tennyson, I think: 'Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'"

At this point they heard Harry calling from the back of the house, "Supper time! Everyone who's in the garden, we're serving!"

Susan was somewhat discomposed by this conversation, and she was quiet as she returned to the house. Inside, they saw that a buffet had been set on the dining room table, and that the others were working their ways around it. After serving herself, Parvati joined Bruno and some of the others in the adjacent sitting room. Susan took a plate, napkin, and utensils, and began to select from the various dishes. She saw Dean doing the same, a few steps ahead of her, and she considered what Parvati had said. At one point she looked up and saw Parvati in the next room; and Parvati happened to look up at the same moment. They both smiled, and Parvati returned to the conversation she was having with the others. Once her plate was full, Susan asked Dean if he'd like to join her to eat in the garden.

Dean seemed surprised by her suggestion, perhaps even a bit nervous, but he answered, "Oh, sure, yes, I guess so; that would be nice."

Susan led the way to the bench where she and Parvati had been sitting previously. The moon was rising, and there was a light breeze. They ate in silence for a while, and then Susan began to speak.

"Will you be heading out to perform any time soon?"

"No, not for a few weeks. My kind of music isn't in great demand this time of year. Dance bands and groups like that are more popular around Halloween. And I'm working on some new songs, so it'll be nice to have a break."

"So you'll be around for a while? I've decided to take some time off work. I have some fixing up to do at home, and I also thought I'd take a short trip, before the weather gets too wet and cold. There are some nice trails on the south coast, and I thought I might take a Floo to a pub I know, near Hastings, and hike for a few days."

"That sounds nice."

"Would you like to come along?"

"Sure, I'd like that."

There was an awkward silence now, as the two continued to eat, then Dean coughed a couple of times and spoke: "Susan, I like being with you. I really would like to go hiking with you. And maybe spend more time together doing other things too."

Susan smiled and said, "Thank you, Dean; I like you too. But I need to tell you something. I think you know that I've been alone for a very long time. I've never really dated, or anything like that. So I hope you'll try to understand if I sometimes don't quite know what to say or do."

"And do you think that I know what I'm doing?"

"Well you've traveled a lot, and met a lot of people. And you're a poet and songwriter. So I think you understand people better than I do."

"Maybe, but let me tell you a secret about songwriting, and about prose writing, for that matter. When you have an idea about how a story is going to develop, and you write it down, you control _all_ of the voices, and you can make things work out just the way you want. But in real life, things aren't so predictable."

"Do you mean that in real life you can't really be sure of what the other person is thinking, or what they might say?"

"Yes, precisely; pretty scary, eh?"

"Yes, pretty scary indeed! So tell me, Dean, does that mean that in real life you sometimes have to take a chance?"

Dean looked at Susan and nodded, and both of them smiled.

Susan continued, "Someone else told me that earlier this evening. It does sound a little scary, but maybe it's something I can try to work on."

"And maybe I can do the same," said Dean. He leaned slightly towards her, intending to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned her head, and met his lips with hers. It was just a short kiss, and they both returned to eating their supper. A short while later, Susan asked, "Shall we return to the party?"

As they entered the house, George and Angelina were gathering their things and preparing to leave; it was time to take the children home and get them to bed. Amidst the bustling and the goodbyes, Susan walked up to Parvati, and silently smiled and nodded to her. Parvati hugged her in return, and the party continued on into the night.

0-0-0

 _Thank you for reading. rj_


End file.
